bolson
Arid drainage basin
A bolson is a flat desert basin surrounded by mountains, with no outlet for drainage.
Water flows inward from the surrounding slopes and collects in a shallow lake or playa at the lowest point, where it evaporates.
The term is used mainly in the geology of the American Southwest and northern Mexico: The bolson stretched for miles between the mountain ranges.
geomorphology
Concave water receptacle
- playaDried lakebed in desert
- alluvialDeposited by moving water
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- drainageLiquid removal system
depression · aridity · saline · aquifer · fluvial · erosion · caliche · landform
basin
Concave water receptacle
- playaDried lakebed in desert
- alluvialDeposited by moving water
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
drainage · depression · aridity · saline · aquifer · fluvial · erosion · caliche · landform · mesa
arid
Devoid of water
cacti · barren · drought · dunes · sand · evaporation · xerophyte · sparse · sunbaked · hardpan
Sonoran
Of a specific southwestern desert